I remember jumping up and down in front of my dad one evening in 1997.
The Florida Marlins, Cleveland Indians, and a sour apple lollipop my mother reluctantly gave me after literally an hour of begging, which in turn probably made jumping up and down a bad idea.
The stage was set.
It was bottom of the 11th, and Edgar Renteria was at the plate. Crack. A single up the middle scored a fist-pumping Craig Counsell, and I was on the edge of tears. You know that feeling when you're really happy and about to cry (it most recently happened to me when I watched recent re-runs of Dawson's Creek).
Sure, I was young and probably started liking the Florida Marlins because of their team color of teal, but since then I have been a pretty avid fan all the way out here in California.
So we won again in 2003. Technically, I had a $2,000 bet with my friend, an avid Yankees fan, that we made on the way back from our high school cafeteria way before the season even started.
But, he said we never made such a deal, and to this day I don't know why I still talk to him. Just kidding. But in any case, if you do the numbers right, it is the Marlins year in 2009!
You may be asking why I am so confident, and that leads me into my first reason to be Florida Marlins fan in 2009.
1. It's been six years since our last World Series championship (be prepared for some stereotypical number-crunching, since I am indeed of Asian descent. Holla!)
We won in 1997. Then upset the Yankees in 2003. 2003-1997 equal six years. It's 2009, and 2009-2003= six. It's been six years, and it's time for us to win another random World Series.
The Florida Marlins always have young talent and are a force to reckoned come playoff time
2. Hanley Ramirez
He is the best player in baseball. He was just taken No. 1 in one of my fantasy baseball leagues. Before I mention how pissed I am that I missed the draft, let's get back to Hanley.
He's got the speed, power, and knack for the game to solidify himself as an MVP-candidate this season. Last year, he placed 11th in MVP voting, but expect him to break at least the top eight this season.
Also, by hitting 33 home runs and stealing 35 stolen bases, he joined the likes of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez in the prestigious 30-30 club.
And he did it without steroids. Best of all, he's down to earth and has a pure love for the game. He's going to be exciting to watch with every swing of the bat he takes in 2009.
3. Young, young talent
Like I mentioned before, the Marlins always have young talent that every other MLB envies.
Personally, I have always said that the Florida Marlins organization is like the minor league for majors.
Many of your favorite stars were once a Florida Marlin: Miguel Cabrera, Gary Sheffield, Josh Beckett, Moises Alou, just to name a few. Personally, I'm excited to see a completely healthy Josh Johnson who went 7-1 after returning from an elbow injury last season.
Young ace, Andrew Miller, supposedly has added the change-up to his pitching arsenal, and newcomer Leo Nunez is distancing himself in the competition for the closer (I was going to make a TNT/Kyra Sedgwick joke, but luckily I refrained myself).
Oh yeah, and remember Cameron Maybin? He was the No. 10 pick in the 2005 first-year playoff draft by the Detroit Tigers and is the cousin of Rashard McCants, which I find quite hilarious. Acquired alongside a handful of others when the Marlins sent away the D-Train and Miguel Cabrera, Maybin is being pushed to leadoff and that brings a whole lot of versatility to the Marlins lineup. Not to mention a developing Jon Baker who prevented a Ivan Rodriguez reunion with his play and rookie Gaby Sanchez who hopefully can help replace the void left by Mike Jacobs, who was traded to the Kansas City Royals.
4. We have a new stadium in sight!
I was actually in Miami for spring break a couple days ago. After picking up the Miami Herald in front of my hotel door, I saw the headline: "Halfway to Home." On a 3-2 vote, the city approved an initial proposal to build a retractable-roof, brand new, eye-dropping stadium by 2012. Miami-Dade County vote this coming Monday! Keep your fingers crossed!
Now that I have all this on digital paper, my first Bleacher Report is complete! Have to go get my laundry now, argh. Hope someone reads this and gets some sort of enjoyment out of it. Until next time, go fish!
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